Green myths through silver rains: the universe of Ivan Franko

Wild herbs whisper incantations, and from emerald forests emerge beings woven from woodland mist and morning dew.

In such a mystical season, Ivan Franko would leave behind the strictness of the scholar’s study and become a magician of words. His Summer Fairy Tale is the gentle breath of a mavka wandering through the groves in search of human feeling. In the poem The Rusalka, he likewise revealed the mysteries hidden beneath the water, transforming folk beliefs into exquisite poetry. Franko saw myths not merely as inventions, but as the encoded soul of his ancestors.

The uniqueness of the writer lay in his ability to unite the tenderness of a lyric poet with the precision of a scholar. His works on folklore demonstrate a rigorous analysis of demonology and folk beliefs. Franko possessed phenomenal erudition: he wrote and translated freely in 14 to 19 languages and, overall, knew more than 40 languages of the world. This extraordinary linguistic gift allowed him to gather the wisdom of many peoples without intermediaries, studying texts in their original form.

At this June season, when Ukrainians decorate their homes with sweet flag and fresh greenery, Japan enters its own mystical rainy period known as tsuyu (梅雨). Within the silver curtain of rain, a kind of magic is born that connects us across oceans.

Here a parallel emerges with the poet Yosa Buson. Like Franko, Buson composed haiku while also carefully studying the supernatural, personally sketching traditional spirits known as yōkai. Both geniuses combined literary artistry with ethnographic curiosity, preserving myths from oblivion.

Franko was deeply fascinated by the Meiji Restoration and by the concise beauty of haiku. He admired how a distant nation achieved a profound modernization of its state while steadfastly preserving its national identity, unique culture, and native language. He wished for the same resilience for Ukraine, seeing in the Japanese experience a model of cultural self-preservation against assimilation.

Today, our summer breathes fire. During the full-scale invasion launched by russia, Franko’s desire to protect what is one’s own acquires vital significance. To defend our language, our folklore, and every cultural achievement is our most important struggle for existence.

By safeguarding our ancient roots, we defend our identity and our future—a future in which our mavkas will once again roam freely through peaceful forests.